


Odesta High School/College AU

by starshynebrite



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Odesta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-10
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-28 22:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2749505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starshynebrite/pseuds/starshynebrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Random snippets of what I think Finnick and Annie's relationship would be in a high school (and college) setting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I: They Meet Again

There was a boy Annie used to play with when she was little. She remembered playing in the sandbox and the kiddie pool with Finnick Odair, who used to be even more arrogant than he was now. They used to be friends, but then as they grew older, Finnick decided girls were gross and stopped hanging out with Annie after school. And Annie decided boys were weird, and stayed inside, reading her books and daydreaming. 

As they grew older, they both went their opposite ways, and while Annie focused on her studies, Finnick grew to be a popular jock and an athlete. Annie didn't even know why she still remembered those days in elementary school when Finnick used to throw sand in her hair and laugh, calling it "fun". It's not like Finnick even remembered who she was now. He was too busy with everyone else. 

"Annie!" A voice called out, snapping Annie out of her daydream. "You're going to be late for your next class!" Johanna rolled her eyes,"Honestly, you've been out of it all day, are you sure you aren't sick?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Annie said quickly, glancing at the clock and sighing. She quickly grabbed her books, running out and making her way through the crowds of annoying students that thought they could just stand in the middle of the hallway. Annie decided that in order to make it to class on time, she'd have to take a different route. She sighed and went down the hallway, pushing open the door for the olympic sized swimming pool. She quickly made her way across the wet, slippery tiles, ignoring the girls sitting on the bleachers. They were probably waiting for a chance to see the swimmers with their six packs or something ridiculous. 

If Annie had been paying attention--which she wasn't-- she would have noticed the swimming cap on the ground. She gasped as she stepped on it and slipped. Her arms flailed as she twisted and fell into the pool. letting out a small scream. 

Annie flailed her arms frantically, trying to swim, but she'd never learned and didn't help that she was panicking and her eyes stung and she was running out of air and... she sank to the bottom of the pool just as a pair of arms grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up.

She was dead. She was definitely dead. Holy crap, she was dead. Annie coughed and opened her eyes, staring into a pair of sparkling green, worried looking eyes. 

"Are you okay?" the boy asked, helping Annie up. Annie Cresta looked at the boy with wide eyes. She knew this boy, a long time ago. "I'm Finnick," he said softly,"You're okay, right?"

"Yes," Annie whispered.


	2. Part II: Swimming Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finnick teaching Annie to swim since...you know.

"At least your books won't get wet this time!" Finnick grinned at Annie, making her heart flutter with excitement. 

Annie laughed, stepping into the pool hesitantly, holding the railing tightly as if she might fall again even though Finnick had promised he wouldn't let her drown. "It's cold," she stated, stopping as the water hit her waist.

Finnick, who hadn't gotten in the pool yet just shrugged,"You'll get used to it. You know what's fun?" he paused as Annie shook her head. "Jumping straight in. Like pulling off a band aid," he raised an eyebrow and backed up a bit, doing a cannon ball into the pool, sending water everywhere, including on top of Annie. 

"Hey!" Annie squealed, her hair drenched. She shivered and then let out a small scream as Finnick came up right in front of her, grabbed her by her waist, and pulled her further into the pool. "Wh-what are you doing?" she demanded, trying to pull away. They'd only really been hanging out for maybe a week now, and the only reason they were even talking to each other was because Finnick wanted to make it up to her, as if falling into the pool was his fault. 

"Relax, Cresta," Fnnick rolled his eyes, letting go of her. "It's like four feet, you can still stand. I'm pretty sure you're tall enough for that,"

Annie resisted the urge to smile and rolled her eyes. For some reason, she really liked that he teased her, because that totally made sense. But he did that a lot with his friends, which made her feel like she was one of them. "Okay, so what do we do first?"

Finnick shrugged,"Well honestly I didn't even expect you to come into the water, so.." he laughed and Annie slapped his arm. "I'm kidding! You gotta learn how to float, so that you don't... you know, sink," he grinned at her, his green eyes sparkling. 

Annie nodded in understanding,"So how do you do that exactly?"

Finnick pushed up and floated on his back,"Like this! Basically you're laying down, but you have to relax." He explained, standing back up. "You have to arch your back and keep that above the water a bit, and make sure your ears are under the water. And also bend your legs a bit, occassionally kicking if you need to keep afloat." he looked at Annie to make sure she understood. "The first time you do it, I'll keep my hand under your back so you don't sink, okay?" he was so careful to make sure she was comfortable, Annie agreed. 

Annie did as told, keeping her back arched and her body relaxed. It felt a bit weird as her ears submerged, but after a bit, it felt pretty natural. She closed her eyes, smiling a bit. 

"You're doing great, Annie!" Finnick said encourangingly. "And I haven't had my hand under you for a while now," he chuckled as Annie's eyes snapped open in alarm and she quickly stood up. 

"You mean I was doing it by myself?" Annie replied, more excited than scared. 

"Yeah!" Finnick grinned, holding out his hand for a high five. "You're a fast learner! Before long, you might even be as good as me," he winked, looking up as the bell rang. "Free period's over. Wouldn't want to be late for math," he grinned.

Annie sighed, getting out a bit reluctantly,"Yeah, I guess I wouldn't." she watched as Finnick got out of the pool, blushing a bit as he caught her staring at his abs. "Don't flatter yourself, Odair," Annie managed to say, grabbing her bag so she could go change. 

Finnick chuckled and watched as Annie Cresta walked to the girls' locker room, wondering why he had ever stopped being her friend. Had he really just decided one day that he was too good to be with her? He didn't even remember anymore ,but he was glad he had a chance to be with her again.


	3. Part III: The First 'I Love You'

Annie sat by the fire, waiting for Finnick to come back with their cookies so that she could show him her Christmas present. It was snowing outside and her parents had warned her not to leave the house, but Annie had told Finnick that was exactly what she wanted to happen. Finnick watched Annie for a moment, smiling to himself. He had to admit, she'd definitely become a bit more of a rebel since the pool incident. 

Of course, he blamed himself. But he never pushed her too far and he admired that she only did things she wanted to do and didn't let anyone tell her what to do. All through high school he made sure to do everything that people wanted him to do so he could have this perfect image of 'Finnick Odair. Swimming Extraordinaire', but Annie--sweet, innocent looking, Annie Cresta-- had shown him that it didn't matter what people thought as long as he was okay with what he was doing. 

"Stop staring. I want a cookie!" Annie laughed, snapping Finnick out of his daydream. 

"Sorry," Finnick chuckled and went over, setting the platter of freshly baked cookies next to them. "So..." he smirked at her, watching as she took a cookie and bit into it. 

"MMmm," Annie sighed happily and then looked at Finnick with excitement. "Oh! Your present!" she set the cookie down and turned to grab the small box. "I hope you like it," Annie grinned at Finnick, bouncing on her seat lightly. "It took forever to make!" 

Annie's excitement was contagious, and Finnick started to bounce on his seat as Annie handed him a small box with blue wrapping paper. He carefully peeled it away, holding his breath as he revealed the small gift. "You made this?" he asked, holding up a beautiful glass sculpture in the shape of a seashell sitting on a small pile of glittering sand.

Annie nodded,"My dad helped." she grinned. "But I came up with the design," she said proudly. Anie's green eyes lit up as she explained the process and Finnick listened with interest. He loved that she could be so passionate about so many different things. Every time she talked about the things she loved, her eyes shined and her hands moved in every direction as if they were the ones telling the story and not her lips. 

"I love you," The words were out of Finnick's mouth before he could even think. He paused as he saw Annie process what he was saying and he grinned, knowing he meant it. "Annie Cresta. I am madly in love with you," he said, setting down the seashell so he could kiss her. 

Annie leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips against his. Finnick pulled away after a few moments, licking his lips,"Tastes like chocolate," he teased, grabbing a cookie and taking a bite. 

Finnick kept his arm around her, stroking her hair lightly. "I love you, Annie," he whispered again. Now that he'd said it once, it was like he couldn't stop. He loved her. 

"It's funny how that works." Annie smirked, turning so she could look at him. "I didn't think you liked me all that much after the pool incident," she admitted. 

"I didn't," Finnick laughed. "you were too smart. You were so good at everything and every time you talked to me, it seemed like you hated me because I was popular. But then..." he sighed,"You crept up on me, Cresta,"

"As you did to me, Odair," Annie grinned, kissing his cheek lightly. "I love you too."


	4. Part IV: Arts and Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place before the Christmas one in my mind. But really, it doesn't matter :) It's all cute anyway! (Hopefully)

Annie stood nervously in front of her sculpture, looking around as the people trickled in so they could see all of the beautiful art. Her art teacher had told her that she was one of the best artists in the school, but Annie didn't really believe her. Nobody had ever really told her that before. Even her parents had never really talked about her art before. 

So naturally, she had not told her parents that she would be at the art show tonight. And she most definitely didn't tell them that her sculpture would be showcased. So why did she keep loking around, hoping her parents would come anyway?

It taken her the whole semester to create her piece. It really didn't help that she was a perfectionist, and every time she glanced at her work, she kept finding little tiny things she  _could_  have moved or touched up on. Her hands fidgeted at her side so she wouldn't touch it and she instead focused on the teachers and visitors that were taking the time to actually look at her sculpture. 

"Look, Mommy!" A little girl pointed at Annie's art. "It's a mermaid!" she said excitedly, running over. "She's so shiny!"

"Did you make this out of glass?" The mother looked at Annie.

Annie was a bit taken aback by the sudden attention, reminding herself to smile. "Yes, ma'am," she said softly, her fingers tapping against her side as she told herself that this attention was good. Nothing crazy embarrassing was going to happen! 

Annie glanced at her work again, trying to relax. The mermaid rested inside a glass box, on top of a clay seashell that was painted with a pale pink color. She'd modeled it a bit after Boticelli's  _The Birth of Venus._ The mermaid itself was made of clay and painted over and the tail was made of small pieces of glass that reflected the light so the light went in all different directions. Around the mermaid and shell, Annie had spread sand and sprayed some of it with blue to add a water like effect. She'd also hung a net with real seashells embedded into it over the top of the glass box and around the left side. 

"It's beautiful," The woman snapped Annie out of her daze and smiled at her, making Annie surge with pride. 

"Thank you!" Annie grinned, blushing profusely. 

The little girl looked at her mother with excitement,"Can I have blue hair too?" 

Annie laughed as the mother led her child away, smiling proudly as more people came to look at her art. She didn't even notice that Finnick was here, though later she definitely recalled the familiar smell of chlorine. 

"Is that you?" Finnick asked, pointing to her sculpture and grinning.

"Finnick!" Annie stared at him in shock, wondering how in the world he was here becasue 1)she didn't ell him either and 2) he had a swim meet. "What...how?"

Finnick laughed,"My next event is in like thirty minutes, so I took a quick shower and sprinted over here," he explained with a small shrug. 

"But... I didn't tell you," she replied, confused and then feeling a bit guilty. Out of all people, she should have told Finnick. After all, they didn't really have many secrets left to share. 

Finnick just gave her his signature wink and grin that made girls blush and giggle. "I have my ways," he said, stepping closer.

Annie blushed, looking around to see if anyone saw, but Finnick just chuckled,"Come on, Annie," he whispered, teasing. Annie laughed and stood on her toes, giving him a small kiss before pushing him back a bit. "Thanks, Odair," she raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad you came,"

"Me too," Finnick replied. "I got to have my good luck kiss after all," he joked and then turned to look at her sculpture again. "So is it you?" he asked again.

Annie shook her head,"No. It's who I wish I could be," she replied honestly.

"Well then, Annie Cresta," Finnick grinned. "You are my blue haired, red lipped, glass tailed mermaid,"

Annie laughed,"Okay," she rolled her eyes, glancing at the clock,"You said thirty minutes, right?"

Finnick nodded and took her hand,"Thirty minutes and then after my event I'll come right back. Are your parents coming?"

Annie frowned,"I didn't tell them,"  

If Finnick was upset about that, he didn't show it. He just nodded,"Okay," he told her, squeezing her hand lightly.

As time passed, more people showed up, looking at Annie's piece with amazement and Finnick leaned towards her and muttered,"They're coming because they think I'm a work of art too," 

Annie punched him lightly,"Yeah, definitely," she laughed, looking at the clock and then at Finnick,"Go get em, Finn," she smiled, kissing him softly on the cheek. "I'll be rooting for you,"

Finnick winked as he made his way out of the room, and Annie sighed, wishing she could just go home. The only thing keeping her here was the fact that staying here to present her project was mandatory. Plus, there would be food and coffee at the end.

Annie managed to actually have a conversation about her art with some of the other teachers and other people without throwing up. She'd always had stage fright, and she got nervous, especially when it came down to talking to teachers. What if she said something wrong or bad and the teachers didn't like her after that? It came with being a perfectionist. 

About ten minutes before the showcase ended, she saw Finnick running down the hall. His hari was still wet from his shower and he still smelled like chlorine, but--thankfully-- he was wearing dry clothes. "I'm back!" Finnick grinned,"Did you miss me?" he asked, kissing her cheek lightly and ignoring the stares of the other people around them.

Annie blushed lightly,"How'd you do?"

"I won, obviously," Finnick grinned, nudging her lightly.

"That's awesome!" Annie grinned back, then looked at the door in confusion and shock. "Mom?" she said hesitantly, moving away from Finnick and towards her parents. "Dad?" 

Her parents hugged her tightly and then her father smiled,"Finnick here called us and told us about the art show that  _you_  never told us about," he raised an eyebrow and Annie ducked her head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Annie mumbled,"I just..."

"it's okay," Her mom assured her, kissing her forehead. "I think we understand," she pulled away and walked towards the mermaid sculpture, her eyes wide. "You made this by yourself?"

Annie smiled proudly, going over and taking Finnick's hand. "Yes I did," she looked at Finnick, mouthing,"Thank you,"

Finnick squeezed her hand back, his green eyes twinkling with happiness. In that moment, Annie Cresta knew she never wanted to lose her Finnick Odair. She wanted to be with him for all eternity.


	5. Part V: You and I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of modeled after "Made in the USA" by Demi

 It had been 11 months, 2 days, 5 hours, and 30 minutes since Finnick had left. Not that Annie had been counting. If Finnick ever asked, she'd deny it. IN these 11 months (2 days, 5 hours, and 31 minutes), Annie had received a total of 3 letters. Two of them were just three words written in Finnick's scrawly handwriting:  _I miss you._

One of them was the reason Annie was counting how long he had been gone. One of them was the reason she was so scared to get another letter, in case it might be the one informing her that Finnick wouldn't be coming home. 

_Annie Cresta, my love. You have my heart for all eternity. And if I die... my last thought will be of your lips._

_Annie, I love you._

_It's horrible here. I've never seen so much blood or tears. Why did I think I was helping people? I can't even shoot a gun straight. I can't--I won't kill anyone. I don't want this on my hands. I wish there was another way to solve this instead of war._

_I bet my charm could just stop it all, don't you think?_

_I'll be home soon._

_Finnick Odair._

Tears slipped from Annie's cheeks and hit the paper, causing some of the print to smear. She'd read it so many times she'd memorized each and every letter and shape. She had memorized everything that was written in between the lines. Everything that she knew Finnick would have wanted to tell her that he couldn't put into words on paper. 

Annie was too scared to ever actually try and write back. Instead, she went about her day as if Finnick was in his classes and studying, just like she was. Annie even swam in the University pool every night. She didn't dare talk to any of the guys there (mostly because none of them were Finnick, but partially because they all knew she was with him), but the water actually calmed her. And when she wasn't in the pool and she needed to relax, she made necklaces and bracelets out of rope and string. 

_For all eternity._

Annie repeated the phrase whenever she felt lonely, knowing her Finn would come back soon. 11 months 7 days, and 4 hours. Annie was packing to go home for the holidays. Her finals had just finished and she felt completely exhausted. Her older sister was picking her up in an hour and Annie had only just begun packing. 

11 months, 7 days, 6 hours.

Annie smiled as she saw the huge poster on the house: WELCOME HOME, ANNIE.

Though she came home almost every other weekend and then on breaks, her parents always celebrated when she came home. She didn't really understand why, but she didn't mind. AT least her parents cared. But this time when she saw the poster, she couldn't help but think about how Finnick would always pretend to be jealous that her parents never welcomed him home. "I'm practically family," he complained, making Annie laugh. 

She greeted her parents with a warm hug and told them about her exams, though her mind was somewhere else. She could smell the food, and if Finnick were here, he'd announce that it was time to eat, even if the food wasn't ready yet. 

Annie and her father sat in the living room and watched an episode of  _Jeopardy!_ while her sister and mother set the table. Annie insisted on helping, but Alissa rolled her eyes and said she deserved a bit of relxation after studying so hard. 

 "So how does it fel to be done with exams for the semester?" Her father asked after a moment.

"It's great. I'm excited for next semester though. I'm going to be able to teach and also take a few sculpting and art classes just for fun," Annie replied, glad that he ddin't ask about Finnick. "It'll be a good change and then maybe I'll even finish my major a year early," Annie added, feeling hopeful. She didn't mind school, but she wanted to have a job already. After all, she was already 20. 

"That's great, Annie," her father pat her knee and smiled. "I'm proud of you," he added softly, and by the look on his face, Annie could tell he was telling the truth. She could also see that he could tell she missed Finnick. "I love you," he whispered, pulling her over and kissing her forehead. "He'll be back before you know it. he wouldn't like it if you were sad, darling,"

"I know," Annie mumbled, resting her head on her dad's shoulder. She looked up as the doorbell rang and her father sighed. 

"Could you go get it, Annie? I'm a bit tired," he admitted and Annie stood up, nodding. 

"Be right back," she smiled and went over to the door just as it rang again. "I'm coming!" she yelled so that the person behind the door could hear. She started to unlock it just as the doorbell rang three more times. "Jeez! I got i--" she swung open the door and froze.

"Annie Cresta," Finnick Odair grinned and took off his army hat, getting down on his knee and pulling out a small box. He opened it quickly,"I love you, Annie. And I want to be with you for all eternity. Will you please marry me?" he asked.

Annie gaped at the man in front of her, too shocked and happy and angry and relieved and--"YES!" she gasped and threw herself into his arms, pressing her lips against his. He lost his balance on his knee and fell a bit backwards, wrapping his arms around her. Afterwards, she swore she could taste sugar on his lips, and could still smell the slightest bit of chlorine in his hair, which had grown a bit long. She pulled away and slapped him as hard as she could on his arm. 

"Ow! Why--"

"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME, FINNICK. I WAS SO WORRIED--" ANnie broke down, unable to stop herself.

FInnick sat up quickly, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her hair,"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, Annie. I'm never going back. I'm going to stay here and cause all kinds of trouble," he mumbled, stroking her hair. 

"I kept," Annie spoke in between sobs. The more she tried not to cry, the more she did. "Waiting for a letter. Telling me that you were dead. I can't lose you, Finnick. You're my best friend." Finnick tilted her head up and Annie looked into his eyes--those, perfect sea green eyes-- and whispered,"I love you,"

"I love you too, Cresta," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. "Now.... I smell food," he smirked as Annie pulled back, laughing as she wiped away the tears. 

"Come on, Odair." Annie rolled her eyes lightly and helped him to his feet, pulling him inside but stumbling back as he pulled her in for another kiss. 

"Here," Finnick smiled, putting the ring on her finger. It was a beautiful emerald with a dark band that seemed to look like two ropes woven together. "It's not a traditional engagement ring, but--"

"I love it. It's perfect," Annie cut him off, standing on her toes and pecking his nose. "Now let's go eat," 

...

Annie's father noticed the ring almost immediately. "About time," he grinned and clapped Finnick on the shoulder,"Welcome back, son," 

"Who's back?" Alissa walked out and grinned,"Finnick!" she laughed and hugged him tightly,"It's a really good thing we made extra!" her smile faltered as her eyes landed on the ring. She narrowed her eyes at Finnick,"You take care of her or else I will punch you in the face," she warned. 

Finnick laughed--oh, it was amazing hearing his laugh again-- and gave her a fake salute,"Yes, ma'am," He didn't let go of Annie's hand, even as they sat at the table, not even as the food was served. 

"Don't you want to eat?" Annie smiled at him, pulling her hand away,"I understand that you and food have a much bigger relationship than you and I, Finn. I'm not jealous," she teased. 

"Are you sure you're not jealous, Mrs. Odair?" Finnick replied, raising an eyebrow.

Annie's grin widened as he called her with his last name. "Absolutely not." She could get used to being called that. "I'm with you for all eternity," she whispered, her eyes shining.


	6. Photograph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really short and sweet

Annie had recently gotten into photography. Sure, she’d taken pictures before, but this was different. She quite enjoyed the challenge of sneaking in photos of Finnick as he climbed out of the pool with her other more artistic pictures—though saying Finnick wasn’t a piece of art was definitely a lie.

She was sure Finnick didn’t notice as she took the pictures, and remained ignorant about how Finnick would smirk slightly every time she held up the camera, or when he wasn’t ready how he would move around so the picture was too blurry to keep.

It was only later, when Finnick shouted, “Be sure to get my good side!” that Annie embarrassingly realized he’d known along about her little secret. After that though, Annie started making him pose and afterwards, they would sit at the edge of the pool and watch as the sun sank and the moon and stars made their first appearance of the night.

Annie snapped a quick picture, capturing the perfect angle where the sunset and the beginning of the night could be seen. “Almost as perfect as those pictures of me,” Finnick teased, kissing her cheek.


	7. Their Daughter's prom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from @mermaidodair on tumblr

“What are we gonna do?” Finnick whined, “In less than three months, our little Mags will graduate and then she won’t ever come visit because she’ll be too busy in college and there’s no way I’m going to let her live so far away!”

                “Finn, isn’t it a bit early to be whining already?” Annie rolled over in bed to face him, smiling softly. “You were alright when Adrian went for college. What’s so different about this time?”

                “Because she’s the baby of the family!” Finnick replied, sitting up and shrugging. “She already has a boyfriend and she’s going to prom with him.”

                “And we did the same when we were in high school,” Annie pointed out as she sat up, kissing him lightly on the cheek. “It’s okay, you know. Mags loves you and she won’t leave you. That’s the reason we named her Mags, remember?” she whispered softly, remembering Finnick’s friend and mentor that had died before their daughter had been born. She’d done everything for Finnick, and she was the first to know that Finnick was planning to propose those many years ago.

                “Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed. “As always,” he kissed her back as he got out of bed, going to go get ready for the day.

                “You look gorgeous!” Annie crowed, snapping a few pictures of Mags in her beautiful royal blue prom gown.

                “Thanks, Mom,” Mags laughed nervously, playing with the pendant around her neck as she glanced outside the window. “Will Dad be home in time?” she asked hesitantly. Although a lot of the time she acted as if she couldn’t care less, she really did love her father who did everything for her even when she didn’t deserve it.

                “Of course he will! He wouldn’t miss this momentous occasion for the world!” Annie laughed. “He didn’t even want to go to work because he didn’t want to miss a moment,” she assured her just as the door opened and Finnick called out, saying he was home.

                “She didn’t leave yet, right?” he ran into the living room, stopping as he saw his daughter. “Mags…” he grinned and came over, hugging his daughter so tightly Annie had to pull them apart so that Mags could breathe. “You look beautiful, Princess,” he kissed her forehead. “I’m so proud of you for everything,”

                “Dad, it’s just the prom! I’m not really accomplishing anything yet,” Mags laughed, “But thank you,” She pulled away as the doorbell rang, making her way to the door excitedly.

                Finnick watched his daughter go to the door and went over to his wife, kissing her quickly. “You’ve done an amazing job with your daughter,”

                “Our daughter,” Annie corrected, holding his hand. “You didn’t do too bad either, Odair,” she nudged him lightly as she watched Mags come in with a wide, proud smile. As she looked at her husband, she could see the joyful tears in his eyes that he would later deny even with the proof on Annie’s camera.


	8. Part VI: Promposals

A few months ago, Annie had taken the challenge to ask Finnick out to the Sadie Hawkins dance. She had originally just planned on being very blunt and asking if they were going to go, but then Johanna had dared her to do something insane and Annie had never passed up a dare from Johanna, no matter how stupid. So here she was, staring at the school secretary, smiling nervously as she waited for her to get off the phone. 

“Yes, dear?” Annie’s eyes widened as the secretary stared at her with an even more bored expression than Finnick in Math class (honestly she hadn’t realized it was possible). 

“Ermmm…I just… I-was-wondering-if-I-could-use-the-intercom-and-ask-someone-out-to-sadie-hawkins-because-I-can’t-think-of-anything-creative-enough-and-this-seems-like-the-craziest-thing-I-can-do?” Annie let out a huge breath as she waited for the lady to understand what she had said. 

The secretary looked at her disapprovingly but then nodded. “Since you’ve never been in trouble with me before, I guess I can help you,” she smiled softly and gestured for her to follow her. “At least you aren’t disrupting a class, right?” she raised an eyebrow and Annie nodded quickly. 

“Just lunch,” Annie mumbled, playing with the bottom of her skirt nervously as they passed the principal’s office.   
“You have five minutes,” she informed her before walking away. 

Annie quickly pulled out her ipod and found the song that she thought was definitely getting the message across, as well as being the most embarrassing. Finnick had caught her dancing and singing to it (very loudly…and very badly) a few weeks ago and he’d laughed so hard he’d fallen to the ground, holding his stomach. Annie smiled as she remembered how embarrassed she’d been. She’d thrown a couple of pillows at him and closed the door, but just a few moments later, she’d also dissolved into fits of laughter.

Annie turned on the intercom and took on a deep breath. “Finnick Odair, will you go to Sadie Hawkins with me?” she said before playing the song. _Give it to me I’m worth it… uh huh I’m worth it…._

When the song ended, Annie repeated the question and said, “Happy now, Johanna?” before quickly turning off the intercom and running off, giggling to herself as she made her way to the cafeteria.

“That was amazing,” Johanna grinned as she made her way to the table, turning red as half the cafeteria wooped as Finnick got up and picked Annie up effortlessly, kissing her. 

“You know I was going to ask you to prom with that song, but now I’ll have to think of something else. Way to ruin my plan, Cresta,” he teased, setting her down and pulling out a chair. 

“Well I guess I’m just more creative than you are,” Annie grinned, glad she had actually done something she never would have done before. Plus, she’d proved to Johanna that she wasn’t always quiet. 

 

Finnick had no idea how he was going to ask Annie to the dance. On one hand, he had to make sure it was more creative than the Sadie Hawkins one. On the other hand, he didn’t want to completely embarrass her. He knew she wasn’t the type that would enjoy public promposals, but she had changed the game with her public one. It was a dilemma that he had no idea how to solve. 

It must have been about four in the morning when Finnick thought of a ridiculous idea. He’d stayed up working on an essay and as he lay in bed, he chuckled to himself. _What if I put a bunch of ping pong balls in her locker that all had the question on them? It would be hilarious and not too embarrassing! And she hates ping pong, so this makes it even better!_

He hadn’t thought that it would go so wrong…

It was a week before Prom and Annie was running a bit late for her first class. The warning bell had just rung and Annie quickly turned the combination for her locker, smiling when she saw Finnick coming over. Her eyes widened when she pulled opened the locker and was immediately hit by tons of ping pong balls. She cried out and stumbled backwards, dropping her books as she slipped on a ping pong ball and hit her head on her locker door, falling to the ground. 

“What the—“ Annie looked around, dazed as she felt a pair of arms pull her up. 

“Are you okay? Crap. Cresta? Please tell me you’re okay!” Finnick cursed and picked her up, running to the nurse. 

“What just happened?” Annie muttered, feeling the ping pong ball she’d caught before she’d fallen. Her eyes focused on the word written on the ball and she snorted. “Finn, this was the best you could come up with?”  
Finnick set her down, his eyes filled with worry before grinning a bit. “Yeah. Probably not the greatest idea. It sounded good at four in the morning,”

Annie laughed, holding onto Finnick. “What a nerd,” she kissed his cheek. “I’m okay. Just a small bump on my head. I don’t need to be at the nurse’s office,” she rubbed the back of her head and winced lightly. “Though I am considering whether I should be going to Prom with someone that could give me a concussion,” 

Finnick chuckled and sat next to her, holding her hand, “You’re never going to let go of this, are you, Cresta?” 

“Never, Odair,” Annie grinned.


	9. Part VII: Beautiful Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Finnick and Annie finally get married

_"Annie Cresta," Finnick Odair grinned and took off his army hat, getting down on his knee and pulling out a small box. He opened it quickly,"I love you, Annie. And I want to be with you for all eternity. Will you please marry me?" he asked._

It had been a few months since Finnick had proposed but it felt like just moments ago. Every moment they spent together felt like a dream. Now it was the night before their wedding and Annie stared at the ceiling with her cell phone pressed to her ear. “Finn?” she whispered, feeling as if she were in middle school and sneaking in a few midnight calls to her secret boyfriend (things that had never happened but she’d always fantasized, especially when listening to Taylor Swift). 

“Yes, Annie?” 

“I love you,” 

She could hear him shift in his bed and she could feel every little breath, as if he were lying next to her. “Annie Cresta.” He began, and she smiled softly. She could tell he was smiling too. “I love you with all of my heart and I can’t wait to be married to you. But if you don’t hang up this phone, I’ll have to do it first and then I’ll feel like a jerk. But it’s three in the morning and I want to be not grouchy when we stand at the altar so—“  
Annie laughed, then covered her mouth so she wouldn’t make too much noise. “Alright, alright. Goodnight, Odair.”

“Goodnight, Cresta. Now seriously hang u---“

Annie grinned and hung up, rolling her eyes and then putting her phone up. She couldn’t believe that it would be just a few hours and then she would be married to this man. “I’m getting married to Finnick Odair…” she whispered to herself happily, her hand reaching up to the little silver necklace around her neck.

\---

_“I know it’s a little cheesy…” Finnick admitted as he brought out a small, square box with a red bow around it. “But I dunno.” He looked at the ground sheepishly as Annie took the box eagerly and ripped it open. “It just made me think of you.”  
It was a simple, yet elegant silver necklace with a round and flat pendant with a single word engraved into it. “Eternity,” Annie whispered, holding it as it hung down from its chain. _

_“Yeah. Because I think that’s how long it will take for me to stop falling for you,” Finnick admitted. Annie smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “I love it, Finn. It’s perfect. And I think that it’s the same for me. I’ve already fallen way too hard for you,” Annie pulled a way, a mischievous look in her eyes. “Into a pool, in fact.” She joked lightly, making Finnick laugh and pull her into a deep kiss._

_“Happy 16th birthday, Annie Cresta,” he whispered._

\---

The next morning, Annie woke to Alissa throwing off her covers. “Get up, sleepy head! This is what happens when you stay up ‘til God knows when talking to your fiancé.” She teased as Annie protested. 

“Seriously, Annie? It’s not like you’re not gonna see the guy today,” Johanna stood at the doorway, her hands in her pockets. They spent the afternoon doing many things and in all honesty it was a blur. Annie would eventually come to describe it as if it were a dream. Certain images stronger than others. For example, Johanna wearing an actual dress. Her being a bridesmaid and all. 

“Annie, I still think this dress you picked makes me look like a tree, but I’ll pretend I like it,” was her sarcastic remark as Annie teased her about wearing a dress for the first time. “But hey, you look good,” 

Annie rolled her eyes, “Good. Because I’m pretty positive it’s a little late to change my wedding dress,” As she looked in the mirror, she took a deep breath. This wasn’t just a fantasy or a daydream. In just an hour, she would be walking down the aisle. So far, everything had gone smoothly. Her father was waiting outside and her mother was busy trying not to cry. Alissa was finishing up with Annie’s makeup and was just about to set the veil. “I’m proud of you, little sister,” Alissa smiled, tears pooling up in her eyes. 

“Are you going to cry?” Annie said, her eyes wide. “This is actually a moment to remember. Alissa… you’ve cried like twice in front of me!” she teased, giving her a hug. As she did so, part of her veil got stuck on one of the sequins on Alissa’s dress. As Annie pulled away… the sound almost felt like her own heart was being torn. Alissa gasped and stared at her in horror. “Oh. My. God. No.” she looked at the part of the veil that was stuck to her and then looked back up at the veil. “That’s okay… It’s fine. It’s totally fine,” she said quickly, stepping back and running over to look through different drawers and find something—anything!—to try and fix it.  
“I-it’s fine!” Annie stammered. “I don’t need a veil. It’s okay!” she took off the veil and fixed the loose strands of hair, trying to compose herself. It was fine. Everything was great! She took a deep breath and turned to look at Johanna, who hadn’t even said a word throughout the whole thing. 

“What?” Johanna shrugged. “Something had to go wrong eventually. At least this was small,” she shrugged. 

Hey, but she was right. This was nothing. Everything else was fine! Or…not. Her mother walked into the room with a frantic expression, “I don’t know how… or why… or how…” the panic was evident not only on her face and her speech, but her whole body. Her hands shook a little. And why was she wet? “Someone must have pulled the fire alarm because—“ and she was cut off as the sprinklers in the room were activated. 

Annie gasped as water sprung from the ceiling and in a matter of minutes, everything was soaked. “This is a disaster!” Alissa looked at Annie, looking more apologetic than angry. 

“At least our makeup’s okay,” Johanna sighed, running her hand through her hair, which was beginning to stick to her face. 

Annie stared at the mirror, her dress soaked. “You know what? It’s fine,” she decided. “How long do we have before the ceremony?” she asked, looking at her mother who just looked surprised. 

“well… the whole building will be wet. I don’t think we can have it here anymore,”

Annie’s hopeful expression faltered for just a moment. “No,” she spoke clearly, clenching her fist. “You know what? I don’t care where this wedding happens or what I’m wearing. Someone tell Finn to meet us outside next to the park. We’ll just do it out there,” she decided. She wasn’t going to let this day go on any longer. It was just a little ceremony. All that mattered was that she would be married to someone she cared about. 

And outside they met. A few of the children had helped her mother make a small pathway of flower petals to where Finnick was standing. His suit was dripping with water and his tie was lopsided and hanging a little loosely around his collar. His hair glistened with water and even though it wasn’t from the pool, annie could swear she smelled chlorine. And as she walked down the makeshift aisle, barefoot and dripping with water, she was sure that this was better than any ceremony she had planned. It wasn’t a perfect dream… it was better. 

“Well, Cresta. I’ve got to say, you’re really pulling off the Poseidon’s bride thing,” he whispered, his sea green eyes sparkling.  
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she whispered in reply as everyone watched them. 

“You’ve prepared your own vows?” the man in front of them spoke, snapping both of them out of their secret conversation. 

“Yes,” Finnick spoke first, looking at Annie with a big grin. “Annie Cresta.” He took her hands in his, “I guess I can’t call you that anymore, huh, Annie?” making Annie roll her eyes and some of the people laugh (though Annie could hear Johanna say, “Not that funny,” from behind). “I love you with all of my heart. I didn’t think I could fall for you when we met again in high school. But you changed me for the better. You let me know that there were other things besides my reputation. That I could be myself even if people didn’t approve. And even when I tried to deny it, I knew I was falling for you. I didn’t think that you would creep up on me like that, Annie.” He paused for a moment. “I know I scared you when I left. And I vow that I will never leave you like that again. I will always stay close. I’ll be there for you through the good and the bad and the ugly. For all eternity,” he whispered the last part, his eyes flickering down to the little pendant that hung from the chain around her neck. 

Annie stared at Finnick, having so many more words but not knowing exactly how to say them. “Finnick. I vow that I will never leave you. I promise to laugh at your jokes… even the stupid ones.” (“That wasn’t funny either,” Johanna mumbled, though she was smiling) “I promise that I won’t get jealous when you choose my mom’s dinners over me,” she added, a twinkle in her eyes. “I will stay by you even on the worst of days. I’ll love and support you the way you always have and always will,” she paused, knowing that there weren’t enough ways to say the three words that he’d already said. “I love you, Finnick. For all eternity,” she added. 

“Stole my line, Cresta,” Finnick whispered under his breath before nodding. “I do,”

And just as Annie spoke, Finnick pulled her into a deep kiss. And it didn’t matter that they were soaking wet. It didn’t matter that nothing had really gone as planned because this….this was the moment that really mattered. “Mrs. Odair,” Finnick grinned, holding her close. “My wife. Till Death Do us Part.” He added seriously as Annie pulled him into another kiss. 

Annie looked at him with a small smile. “Not even death will keep us apart, Finn,”


	10. Broken Frame

The day had started out as most did. Annie made waffles while Finnick poured the coffee. They ate in silence as they breathed in the coffee and got ready for their days. “I’ll be back by six and then we’ll go watch this movie you so desperately want to see.” He pecked her lips as he grabbed his jacket. “Have fun.” He added with a little grin as he walked out the door, driving off. Annie still had some time before she needed to get to the school, glad that classes started at nine. She was able to clean up and get some extra grading done before going to the school. 

When she came back from school, she was always pretty drained from taking care of children, but being an elementary school teacher was one of her favorite things especially now that her own two kids were all grown up. She lounged on the couch as she waited for Finnick to come home. She must have dozed off, because when she opened her eyes again, the room was dark and the sun was set. She blinked and glanced at the clock, frowning as she realized it was 7:30. She looked at her cellphone, growing concerned as she saw no texts or calls from Finnick. 

She had always been the type to worry too much and she was always scolding herself for caring too much and getting to anxious, but there was a strange unsettling feeling in her heart as she dialed her husband’s number. Each time she called there was no answer. And then the home phone rang and she rushed to answer. “Finn? Everyth—” she stopped as she heard the voice. “I’ll be right there.” She stammered, her hand shaking as she quickly grabbed her jacket and ran to the car, not even bothering to lock the door. 

“ _Mrs. Odair? There’s been an accident. Your husband is the hospital. He’s alive, but his condition is critical._ ” The woman’s voice, so devoid of emotion, echoed through her mind as she sped to the hospital. The hallways felt never ending as she ran down the halls, everything blurry and faded and in slow motion. “M-my husband… Finnick…” she stammered as she got to the desk, stopping as she heard a familiar voice.

“Mom!” her daughter came up from behind her and hugged her tightly. Mags pulled Annie to the waiting lounge where Adrian was sitting anxiously. “We came as soon as we heard. Dad’s having an emergency operation right now.” She explained as she helped her mother sit down. 

“They said that he was shot.” Adrian added, ignoring the look Mags gave him. “There was some kind of robbery.” He added softly, taking Annie’s hands. “It’ll be fine, Mom. It’ll be okay. Dad’s a fighter. We all know it.”

Annie just nodded, too shocked. “We were going to watch a movie.” She spoke before she knew what she was saying. “He said he would be home by six and I fell asleep and didn’t realize the time.” 

They all sat in silence as they waited. Every second felt like eternity, and after what seemed like forever, a doctor came out with an unreadable expression. Annie could see his mouth moving but nothing was going in her ears. And then she heard a loud gasp followed by an even louder “No!”. And she felt arms go around her as she felt her whole body go numb. 

“ _We’re so sorry. We did everything we could_.” The doctor’s registered only after her reaction. Annie completely shut down as Adrian helped her sit down. She didn’t move… she didn’t cry. She just felt an emptiness in her heart. Finnick Odair, the man she said she would spend eternity with, was gone. In the blink of an eye he was taken away from her. It didn’t feel real, but she knew it was true. She could hear her daughter’s sobbing and her son trying to stay strong. She could see their heartbroken faces as they realized that their father was gone. 

~~~

Annie stared at the frame she’d just broken, her vision blurry from the tears that threatened to spill. It was from a picnic they had taken many years ago when Adrian and Mags were still children. Finnick was sitting with the kids sitting on his lap. Instead of looking at the camera, he was looking at Annie. His eyes were bright, so full of life…so happy. A sob escaped her lips as she sank to her knees, her whole body shaking. 

It had been three days since that night at the hospital. And this was the first time she had cried. “Finn…” she moaned, hugging the picture to her chest as she heard her son run to the living room. “You promised eternity!” she yelled, throwing the frame across the room and watching the glass shatter over the picture perfect family.


End file.
